The 10 best championship winning teams in NBA history

Best of the best

Winning an NBA Championship is no easy feat, but some teams have been so good they've destroyed the competition around them. Let's take a look at the top 10 NBA Championship teams of all time, and see where each one ranks!

10. 2012 Miami Heat

The 2012 Heat are another example of a team who used a prior season's failure as motivation, which is a common thread on this list. In 2011, Miami was heavily favored against the Dallas Mavericks, but lost to a more connected unit. The Heat were determined to fix their flaws in crunch time in order for LeBron James to win his first ring.

9. 1989 Detroit Pistons

The NBA's website wrote about Isaiah Thomas' heroic performance in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, but the Los Angeles Lakers would win Games 6 and 7 to win the title that year. Still, Thomas and the "Bad Boys" Pistons proved to the league that they were willing to do anything to get to the mountain top.

Redemption

They left nothing to chance in 1989, sweeping the same Lakers out of the NBA Finals en route to a title. FiveThirtyEight's website slotted this Detroit team as the ninth best in NBA history, which seems like a fair ranking. It validated a style of play and an identity that is attributed to them until the present day.

8. 1972 Los Angeles Lakers

There's an argument to be made that a championship team featuring Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain should be more highly thought of in the annals of NBA history. That's not even considering the stellar play of Gail Goodrich in 1972, who averaged nearly 26 points per game.

All they do is win

The 1972 Lakers still have the NBA's record for most consecutive games won in the regular season at 33. Los Angeles finished the job in the playoffs by defeating the New York Knicks in five games en route to the championship. Chamberlain was named NBA Finals MVP, after averaging an absurd 23 rebounds per game.

7. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers' 1983 season is best remembered by a quote articulated by Moses Malone. He infamously said "fo-fo-fo" before their title run, which indicated that he believed Philadelphia would sweep every series on their way to a championship. They came very close to achieving that, as they lost just one game in the playoffs in their title run.

The missing piece

Moses Malone was instant royalty in Philadelphia, as he proved to be the player that helped the 76ers get over the hump. He led the league in rebounding in 1983, and was named NBA Finals MVP. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a detailed piece in 2023 stacking this team up against the best to ever play.

6. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers

ClutchPoints believed that the 1987 Lakers might be the best team in NBA history. Magic Johnson seemed to be at the peak of his powers, averaging over 26 points and 13 assists on his way to winning NBA Finals MVP. What made the accomplishment even sweeter was vanquishing the rival Boston Celtics to win the ring.

No stopping Showtime

Bleacher Report thinks that the 1987 Lakers are the third-best team in franchise history, which goes to show how storied the organization is. They point out that Los Angeles lost only one game during the Western Conference playoffs, and that the fast-break attack was at its peak during this season.

Bird flies high

Although he might be a little biased, Larry Bird told Basketball Network that he thinks the 1986 Celtics team was the best to ever do it. The Athletic believes that Bird was probably at his best during that campaign, as a lethal scorer, savvy playmaker and rugged rebounder.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

During the 2024/25 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder seemed unstoppable, possessing a perfect mix of young and old players, and having the personnel to match up against any scheme in the league. They won 68 games in the regular season and 84 overall, the third best in NBA history.

Led by the best

Led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, OKC played a fast and fierce offensive game and also dominated the majority of team stats for the season. On both ends of the floor, they were the best by a mile.

3. 2018 Golden State Warriors

There wasn't much the NBA could do against Golden State in the latter part of the 2010s, as they added a generational player to their already potent mix. Kevin Durant fit in seamlessly into the Warriors' attack. Although they won the title in 2017, they seemed to reach their apex in 2018.

Unlimited firepower

Defenses were afraid to help off of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, which allowed Durant to operate one on one. He took full advantage on his way to winning his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP in 2018. Bleacher Report believes that Golden State featured one of the best rosters in league history in 2018, in addition to one of the premier teams of all time.

2. 2001 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers won three consecutive titles from 2000-2002, but their second one was arguably the most impressive. Los Angeles dominated their way to the title, losing just one game in four playoff rounds. In a podcast interview re-posted by Bleacher Report, current Los Angeles Clippers coach and former Lakers player Ty Lue called them the best team ever.

An unstoppable force

Shaquille O'Neal jumped over and ran through anyone who was in his way in 2001. Dikembe Mutombo was one of the best defensive players of his era, and O'Neal made him look like a college player during the 2001 NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant had also come into his own by then, which gave them a dynamic duo that was nearly impossible to contain.

1. 1996 Chicago Bulls

While NBA history has witnessed greatness from many different championship teams over the years, the 1996 Bulls remain at the top of the list. Michael Jordan had returned to the NBA in his first full season after his baseball hiatus, and Chicago was better than ever as a result. They won a then-record 72 regular season games, running circles around the rest of the NBA.